


Truth or Dare

by TheBigLoserQueen



Series: Office AU [6]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, College, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, Friendship, Heavy Angst, Human, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kissing, Language, Minor Violence, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-20 10:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4784213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thornstriker and Bloodshed have their friendship tested again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth or Dare

It had been almost three weeks since Bloodshed had been pulled out of his massive depression state. Though things between him and Thornstriker were still tense and highly awkward, they weren't as bad as they had been before she had asked him to move in with her after graduation.   
  
Now that things were somewhat, should he say, normal again, he was reading and eating and hanging out with his friends again. He was even going out with them more often, though it was mainly him trying to appear as if everything were normal.   
  
Things with Thornstriker, though, were still… complicated. She was still afraid to be anywhere alone with him – always one other person had to be in the room in sight with them if they were together. It was hard to start a conversation with her and they still didn’t really say hello to each other when they saw each other at school. They tried, but it was extremely difficult at times.   
  
And because they had trouble talking to each other, it was incredibly awkward as the two of them sat on the sofa up against the wall at the party. Nebula had invited (forced) both of them to join her and Novabomb at a drinking party over at their friend Comet’s house. It wasn’t that big of a party – only about thirty to forty guests, but... There was alcohol all over the house. And there were so many people making out and grinding up against each other to the beat of the music.   
  
Bloodshed wanted to murder someone, particularly his two friends. Though he had guided Thornstriker to the back of the room and to a couch, she could still see everything that was going on. Damn it, he had told them she shouldn't go! And he had even told her it probably wouldn't be great if she went! But she had insisted that she would be all right... And he had believed her. Now she wouldn't even look at him because of what she could see.   
  
Shit, he should have just told her to stay home and told Nebula and Novabomb to fuck off. She didn't even like these kind of parties to begin with. He didn't understand why she had agreed to come along in the first place.  
  
"Thornstriker?"  
  
The science major tensed at her name, looking up at her friend.  
  
"Do... Do you wanna go home?" he asked. "I... I can take you home, if you don't want to be here..."   
  
Thornstriker bit her bottom lip and looked down at her hands that rested on her lap. It wasn't so much that she didn't want to be there. It was just... the smell of alcohol and the sight of others grinding up against each other was a lot to take in. It looked like people were practically having sex. Of course, back here, she couldn't see it as well, which she was grateful for.   
  
"I... I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure? I can drive you home and-"  
  
"N-No... No. Really, I'm all right." That and she didn't really want to be alone in a car with Bloodshed for half-an-hour. She had forgiven him and she did trust him to never hurt her again, but it was that fear. That ever-present fear that prevented herself from ever being alone with him. She wondered for a moment how she was going to live with Bloodshed alone after graduation.   
  
"Oh... All right..." He sat back against the seat, looking over the room. Argh, damn it. Some of his old "girlfriends" were here and checking him out. He just prayed that they wouldn't come over and talk to him. He was not in the mood to pretend to be nice to anyone, let alone toward some slutty bimbos he fucked as a way to relieve himself.   
  
Nebula, who was sitting down on the ground next to Novabomb and partaking in "Limitless Truth or Dare," peered over at the two. She didn't know what had happened, but both of them were acting weird, especially these past few months. It was annoying as hell and it didn't help that Bloodshed never told her or Novabomb anything. The two of them were just being awkward as fuck and it was pissing her off.   
  
She turned to Novabomb, leaning over and whispering, "Hey, let's get them over here."  
  
He turned to her, blinking. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm talking about Miss Goody-Good and Major Depression over there." She gestured to the two on the couch. "They've been acting weird since... well a while now."  
  
Novabomb looked over at the two for a moment. Nebula was right. They were acting a bit strange. He didn't know what the problem was and not even Mirage knew, despite being good friends with Thornstriker. He had tried asking Bloodshed, but he said it was none of his business and Novabomb knew that that was the end of that conversation.  
  
Still, he didn't like seeing Bloodshed act all weird, especially around the chick he had been in love with since high school. There had to be something.  
  
"So, then, what should we do?"  
  
Nebula thought for a moment. Well, they couldn't find the reason for the problem. But maybe they could get them to relax a little. She gave a smirked and stood up, walking over to the two of them.  
  
The two on the couch perked up at the sound of clanking heels. Thornstriker was confused as to why the other woman was smirking, but Bloodshed just glared at her. That kind of smug smile was never a good sign.  
  
"What do you want, Nebula?"  
  
She pointed to the group of eight behind her. "Come on - we're playing Limitless Truth or Dare. Join us. It's a hell of a lot more fun than just sitting here and looking like moping teenagers."   
  
Bloodshed frowned at the comment. "Shut up, Nebula."  
  
She rolled her eyes, turning to the science major. "Come on, Thornstriker. You hate parties like this anyway. At least have some fun - it's just truth or dare, you know."  
  
"W-Well, I-"  
  
"It'll be fun, come on. Don't be a pussy - join us!"  
  
"Nebula, would you just fuck-"  
  
"O-Okay..." Thornstriker murmured softly, slowly standing up. She didn't want to be rude to the other, considering she had come out of her way to ask both of them to join her and her friends. And it was just truth or dare. Though she didn't understand why they added the word "limitless" in front of it...  
  
Bloodshed's eyes widened. Shit, he couldn't let her do that. She had never played with his friends before - he could only imagine what they would try to put her through if she chose to do a dare or someone else was dared to do something to her.  
  
"Thornstriker, I don't think you should-"  
  
"Shit, Bloodshed," Nebula said, glaring at him while resting her hands on her hips. "If she wants to play, then let her.  You can't _force_  her not to."  
  
Bloodshed's chest suddenly tightened when she put emphasis on the word "force." Was... that what he was doing? Forcing his will onto hers? No... No, he was just trying to protect her! But he had said he wouldn't force Thornstriker to do anything... Fuck, why did she have to use that word? But he wasn't about to let Thornstriker go off by herself. He didn't trust anyone, including his own friends, at this party at the moment.  
  
"Fine," he grumbled, standing up. "I'll come too."  
  
Nebula's smirk just widened as she led them back over to the circle. Novabomb smiled and waved to them. The people in the circle shifted a little so they could make room for both Bloodshed and Thornstriker as the two sat next to each other. Nebula returned to her original spot and gave Bloodshed a prideful grin. He just glared at her, wanting to rip her face off.   
  
"All right!" Novabomb said, clapping his hands. "Since we got new people, let's change it up a bit." He reached over and grabbed his beer bottle, drinking the last of it. Then he wiped off the top with his sleeve and placed it in the center of the circle. "Whoever the bottle points at, last person asks them Truth or Dare. Yeah?"  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement.   
  
"Okay!" Then Novabomb spun it, starting the game anew.  
  
In about five minutes, Thornstriker was beginning to regret her decision to play with them. In that time period, a girl had to remove her top for a whole minute, a guy had recounted the greatest night of his life involving twins from Europe, another guy confessed to having taken pictures of himself and his best friend doing borderline gay positions (and having to present proof), one guy had to hold his head under the icy water in the bucket holding the beers, and another girl had turned down a truth about her most embarrassing sex moment by doing two dares. One was to give Nebula a lap dance and another was to let everyone in the game slap her ass, hard.  
  
The poor science major had nearly wet herself when she had done it quickly, only to have everyone (minus Bloodshed) tell her it didn't count because it wasn't hard enough. She cringed at the drunken scream the girl gave when her hand came down on her posterior hard.  
  
As the game continued on, Thornstriker was wondering if she should take upon Bloodshed's offer to drive her back when the group ohh'ed. She looked up to notice the bottle pointing directly at her. She felt her stomach drop.  
  
The girl who had previously went smiled brightly at the other. "So, Thornstriker - Truth or Dare?"  
  
"Tr-Truth." There was no way in hell she was about to do a dare. Not with these people.   
  
"Hmm..." The blonde thought hard for a few moments, trying to think of a good question for the other. She didn't want it to be too personal, but just personal enough where it would make her blush. Then she thought of one and smiled brightly. "When was the first time you ever had sex? And who was it with?"  
  
Both Thornstriker and Bloodshed stiffened at the question. Bloodshed looked over at the other with wide eyes, seeing that Thornstriker had gone pale. No... No, she was remembering...  
  
Thornstriker swallowed, trying to regain her senses as she recalled that... horrible night last year. The night where Bloodshed had been so drunk that he couldn't judge right from wrong, where he had pinned her down to the bed, ripped her clothes off her with his bare hands, and raped her. She opened her mouth, not sure what she was about to say, when Nebula barked out a laugh.  
  
"You're asking her  _that_?!" she cackled, shaking her head. "That stiff is a total virgin. I don't think she's ever been felt up before, let alone had sex with someone!"   
  
Thornstriker said nothing, slightly trembling, as everyone looked at her with wide eyes. Then they burst out laughing, not being able to believe that anyone was a virgin at this age. She slowly looked over at Bloodshed, who just gave her a soft look, feeling horrible that she had to recall said event.  
  
Then he gestured to the bottle. "Come on, spin the bottle."  
  
"Hey!" Nebula said, pointing at him. "She didn't answer her truth!"  
  
"Yeah, but  _you_  did," he growled, glaring at her. "And now that her truth's been answered, she can spin the bottle. Next time, keep your damn mouth shut and she'll answer it herself." Though he was a bit relieved that the other woman had blurted that out. It took attention away from Thornstriker's pale face.   
  
Nebula mumbled something, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
Thornstriker took a deep breath and spun the bottle as directed. When it came to the stop, it pointed to Novabomb, who just smiled brightly up at the girl.  
  
"U-Um... Truth or dare?"  
  
"Dare!" Novabomb chirped, smiling brightly. "I'm not a pussy - I got this. Lay it out me, sister!"   
  
Thornstriker was at a lost. It wasn't as if she played this game often and she knew he would want something extreme. He did like challenges... But she couldn't think of anything extreme!  
  
"Thornstriker."   
  
The girl blinked and turned to look at Bloodshed. He motioned her to come closer, which she did, though cautiously. He whispered something to her, which made her eyes widened. He wanted her to dare him that?! She didn't understand, causing her to pull back to look at him. But he just nodded, and titled his head back to Novabomb, who seemed eager to know what the dare was.  
  
Thornstriker gave a small sigh and swallowed. "Well... I-I dare you... To kiss Nebula... On the lips."  
  
Both Nebula and Novabomb made faces, obviously disgusted by the idea. Nebula glared murderously at Bloodshed while Novabomb frantically shook his head.  
  
"No way!" he cried. "I hate women! And if I kiss her, I'll get herpes for sure!"  
  
"Hey!" Nebula snapped, turning to glare at him.   
  
Bloodshed smirked a bit, enjoying how much they both hated this dare. Good - payback. "I thought you said you weren't a pussy."  
  
"And I'm not straight either! I'm not gonna kiss her!"  
  
"But the rules say while you can turn down a truth in exchange for two dares, you can't take back a dare," he said, his smirk widening. "You know, unless you're total chicken shit."   
  
Novabomb gave a pitiful whimper. He looked at Nebula, who just looked back at him. She definitely didn't want to do it either... Fuck Bloodshed. She would kill him when this was over!  
  
Finally, Novabomb closed his eyes and leaned over, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Both of them gagged as they pulled away from each other, the other group members laughing at their over-dramatic behavior. Even Thornstriker let out a small giggle, which made Bloodshed give a soft smile. At least he had gotten her to laugh once tonight  
  
"Now I'm going to get herpes for sure!" Novabomb cried, wiping his lips as if trying to get off the germs.  
  
Nebula glared at him. "Can't believe I just got kissed by a faggot..."   
  
"At least I don't have herpes."  
  
"Neither do I, you fucking-"  
  
"Nova," Bloodshed said, cutting the girl off. "Just spin the bottle already."   
  
Novabomb gave a "Hmph!" before he took a hold of the bottle and spun it.  
  
As the bottle continued to spin, Bloodshed quickly leaned over and whispered to Thornstriker, so that no one can hear them, "Do you want to leave now?"  
  
Thornstriker opened her mouth to speak, but when she caught sight of the bottle, she froze. He wondered why for a moment when he turned to look at the bottle too. He froze when he saw that it was now pointing at him. He jerked up his head to see Novabomb looking at him, smiling mischievously.  
  
"Karma's a bitch, ain't she?" he said, smiling brightly as he folded his arms across his chest.  
  
Bloodshed just glared at him, though the younger man dismissed it.  
  
"So... truth or dare, Bloodshed?"  
  
"Truth," he said all too quickly.  
  
Novabomb laughed though. "What? You chicken and think you won't be able to handle my dare?"  
  
His pride flinched a little and his eyebrow twitched. "Shut up, Nova."  
  
"Chicken~~!" he sang. "Bloodshed's a big chicken~~~! Chicken~~~!"  
  
" _Shut up_!" he snarled. "Fine! Dare! I'll take a fucking dare!"   
  
Novabomb laughed, looking at the other. He thought hard for a moment, wondering what he should do. He looked over at Thornstriker, who seemed to be trying to calm him down while not sitting so close to him. Then an idea, probably a cruel one, came to mind as he smiled brightly. Though, maybe Bloodshed would thank him later, since he was in love with the girl.   
  
"All right then..." Novabomb stood up straight, pushing out his chest as the group below looked at him as if he had gone crazy. "Bloodshed... I dare you... to kis- NO! - MAKE OUT!... WITH THORNSTRIKER!... FOR A WHOLE MINUTE!... RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"  
  
It was if the whole party had just stopped. Everyone heard the crazy Goth yell out his dare, making the gamers the center of attention. A silence filled the air before the gamers and the recipients around them began to cheer on the man as eyes began to turn to the two in question.  
  
Bloodshed just stared at the other. He couldn't move, eyes widening with his heart stopping. He felt as if he had just been shot in chest, but he only felt numb. Novabomb... He couldn't have just said what he had said... right?  
  
Thornstriker paled at the dare. No... No, no Bloodshed couldn't do that dare! As she started to shake, she suddenly became aware of the extra eyes that were now looking at her and Bloodshed. This couldn't be happening... No, this couldn't be happening!  
  
"How do you like me now, Bloodshed?" Novabomb said, smiling brightly.   
  
Bloodshed couldn't even think. All he could do was look at Thornstriker, realizing he had been dared to make out with her. He swallowed. No, no, he couldn't do this to her!  
  
"Nova, I-"  
  
"Hurry up and kiss!" Nebula said, holding out her phone with the timer ready to go.    
  
Soon the entire room was chanting "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" with some of the men reminding Bloodshed to use his tongue while some of girls shouting out to Thornstriker to make the most of it. One girl even shouted at her to not worry because Bloodshed was a good kisser! Though Thornstriker didn't need to be told that. She knew much more about Bloodshed than she ever wanted to know, which was what terrified her.  
  
Her breath hitched as he suddenly seized her cheek, looking up at with wide and terrified eyes. He gave her an agonized look, stroking over her cheek. "I... It'll just be for one minute," he murmured softly. "C-Can you do that? If you can't, I... I can..."  
  
She swallowed, shivering and on the verge of tears. She didn't want to do this, but she didn't want Bloodshed to be made fun of either. And this was her fault too. She had made Novabomb do a dare he didn't want to do, which made him retaliate like this. She didn't have to take Bloodshed's dare. She just chose to because she couldn’t think of one herself.  
  
She only gave him a nod.   
  
He took a deep breath, hesitant to start. He didn't want to put her through this... But she said it was okay... Damn it.  
  
But just as he leaned in to kiss her, Nebula said, "And if either of you break it off, you'll have to start all over again for another minute, got that?"  
  
Bloodshed flashed a glare at her, wanting to grab her and Novabomb by the necks and break them. But he knew he couldn't do that now... Though maybe later when this bullshit was said and done.    
  
"I promise," he whispered softly against her lips. "I... I won't do... anything. Okay?"  
  
She nodded, shutting her eyes tightly and just praying this would go by quickly.  
  
Taking one last breath, Bloodshed pressed his lips against hers.  
  
With her mouth covered, Thornstriker held back the urge to scream as Bloodshed slowly kissed her. But it became harder when her ears were suddenly filled with cheers, whistling, and catcalls. She could hear voices, most of them male, cheering them, no, him on. Telling him to put his hand on her back, her ass, her flat chest. To stick his tongue down her throat. To pull her body against his and make her beg for more.  
  
She wanted to cry, especially as he leaned over her and pushed her back a bit on the floor. She wished the Earth would snatch her from here and take her somewhere she would never be seen again. Why? Why did this have to happen to her? Why hadn't she left when he had asked before?  
  
Bloodshed wanted to kill himself and everyone else surrounding them. Fuck, wouldn't they just shut up?! Did they really think they were enjoying this?! Thornstriker was on the verge of tears, trembling and whimpering into their kiss. She gripped at his shoulders tightly, his hands at the back of her neck and her hip. He didn't move his hands though, not wanting to torture her anymore than he already was.   
  
"Yeah! Squeeze her ass!"  
  
He suddenly saw himself doing just that, his hands digging into her flesh as those mounds fit so perfectly...  
  
"Grind, man, grind!"  
  
Then he saw his hips were grinding into hers; the heat rolling off them was so wonderful...  
  
"Harder!  Harder!"  
  
_"Harder!"_  
  
He almost broke the kiss. But he was able to save them by making it seem as if he needed to catch a quick breath. Not hearing anyone, including Nebula, call him out, he was able to continue.  
  
Bloodshed didn't know if he was feeling bile in the back of his throat. What the fuck was that?  Was he imagining that? It felt too real... Had it been real? Had that been... a memory? He didn't know. He didn't want to know.   
  
But he knew. He could try to deny it, but he knew what he had seen, even if he didn't want to believe it.   
  
She opened her eyes a bit when she felt him tremble against her too. But it had been a mistake, seeing his large, muscular body over hers, the crowd of spectators still cheering him on. They were clapping, whistling, drinking - there was so much noise. And it was too warm. Everything was too warm. She felt like she was going to die. She couldn't do this. She was going to cry...  
  
"All right!" Nebula cried. "Time's up!"  
  
Immediately, Bloodshed pulled away from her, both of them panting hard and trembling slightly. The room erupted with clapping, though some of the guys gave disappointed groans and told him he should have felt her up more.   
  
He wanted to puke. He felt so completely disgusted with himself for doing such an awful thing to her. He had sworn that he would protect her, to keep her safe... And, yet again, he had violated her. He tainted his angel again.   
  
"Nice, Bloodshed, you pulled it off," Novabomb said, smiling brightly. "I'm impressed." Then he turned to Thornstriker. "So, is he a good kisser or not? Come on - share with us!"   
  
Thornstriker just looked at the Goth, still shaking as she saw everyone smiling at her. She felt sick, just like that night a little more than a year ago. She hated this. She hated this so much...  
  
The science major finally couldn't handle it any longer and burst into tears, stunning everyone into silence. Bloodshed just closed his eyes and looked away from her, knowing that it was all his fault. He had caused her to be this way. He had been the one to violate her, hurt her...   
  
Nebula was confused for a moment, not sure what brought the tears on. "Hey," she said, confusedly but gently. "Hey, calm down. It was just a kiss."  
  
But Thornstriker just cried, jerking away from Nebula when the woman tried to grab her arm. Not wanting to sit there any longer, she stood up and ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her.   
  
The room was silent for a few moments. Nebula huffed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Well, the girl was pretty timid and reserved. An audience must have overwhelmed the poor girl to tears.   
  
"Well, I guess some girls are just better at handling you than others," she said, looking over at the dark-skinned man. A few of the people who heard her gave a few soft chuckles, knowing that she didn't mean anything by it.  
  
But before anyone could do or say anything else, Bloodshed had lunged at her, seizing her by the throat with both hands and pushing her into the wall. Screams erupted around them as he dragged her higher up the wall, watching Nebula claw at his grip as his hands tightened around her neck. Spittle started to flow over her lips as the whites of her eyes started to turn as red as her pupils.  
  
"Bloodshed! Damn it, stop!" Novabomb jumped out of the horrified crowd of people and grabbed at his friend's arms. "Stop it! What’re you doing?! You're gonna kill her!"  
  
The dark-skinned man turned to look at the smaller male, almost unfazed by him. Letting go of Nebula, she had barely slid down to the floor coughing before he decked the Goth in the jaw, sending him flying into the group and knocking at least three others down.  
  
"You fuckers think it's funny?" he snarled, addressing the entire room now. "Do you think it's funny to force a girl into doing something she doesn't want to do?! Do you think it's funny to scream at the guy she doesn't want to kiss to feel her up like she's some fucking whore off the street  _just so you guys can all stroke yourselves over it_?!"  
  
He wanted to kill every single person in this house before killing himself. All of them. He hated all of them. Because they had forced him to force her into a situation like that. While he took most of the blame, these bastards weren't innocent either. In a way, they were just as guilty as he was.  
  
"All of you...! You're nothing but  _by standing rapists_!" he shouted. "So long as you can get off, you could give a shit about how someone else is feeling! As long as you don't get hurt,  _what the fuck is the big deal, right?!_  If  _any_  of you come near me or her about what just happened, I will  _murder_  you!"  
  
Then he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him and rattling the entire house. But once the cool spring air hit his face, he realized that he had to calm down. He needed to find Thornstriker. He needed to apologize to her... To get down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness... Fuck, he would be lucky if she even looked at him now.   
  
He suddenly heard his car alarm go off, jerking his attention down the street. He ran in that direction, eyes widening when he saw Thornstriker pulling at the driver's door, crying and wailing as she pulled in futility at the handle.  
  
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his keys to unlock it when they slipped out. Almost losing his balance, he fell to one knee while almost splayed out to grab it off the ground and unlock it. The alarm stopped and Thornstriker quickly threw herself into the car as Bloodshed finally got back up to run to the car.  
  
"Thornstriker!" He ran up to the door, but didn't attempt to open it. Looking in, he saw her curled up into herself as she faced away from him in the driver's seat.  
  
Not knowing if she was all right, he instinctively tried to open the door to reach her when he found it to be locked. She must have locked it again when she got inside.  
  
"Shit!" he muttered under his breath. Bringing up his keys, he unlocked it again.  
  
The sound startled Thornstriker to look back and see him. Eyes widening in fear, she lunged across to the seat's controls to lock the car again. When she locked the car, he tried to unlock before she simply locked it again. Seeing that she truly didn't want him in the car, he shoved his keys back into his pocket and pushed up against the window so she could see him.  
  
"Thornstriker!" he said, loud enough for her to hear him. "Thornstriker, please! I-I'm not going to hurt you!"  
  
She shrieked when she saw his face, jumping back into the passenger's seat. She pressed back up against the far door, terrified that he would possibly try and break into the car. And then he would kiss her again... And then he would force her again...! Primus, help her!  
  
“Thornstriker! Please, I–”  
  
“NO!” she screamed, curling herself up into a ball as she pressed against the seat, trying to get as far away from him as possible. “NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!”  
  
“Thornstriker…” He rested his head up against the window, looking down at the door handle. This was all his fault. He should have just have told Novabomb to shut up and die. He never should have just gone with it when Thornstriker said it was all right because it wasn’t all right. He had forced her… again.   
  
“Thornstriker, I’m sorry,” he said, loud enough for her to hear. “I… I’m so sorry. I… You have every right to hate me, to be afraid of me… I’m sorry. Please… Just… Just let me know. A-Are you okay? Are you okay…?”   
  
Thornstriker just sat there, shaking at the question. Okay? Was she okay?! She just had to relive an entire minute of what he had done to her in her junior year! His massive form keeping her pinned, his hands on her in ways she never wanted them on her, his lips crushing hers… She wanted to vomit from the memories. She wanted to die.  
  
Unable to answer him, she just continued to cry. She just wanted to go home, crawl into her bed, and just forget this horrible night even happened. Bloodshed… He kissed her… He had kissed her and the noise… The warmth… Just like that night a year and a half ago… She cried even harder than before.   
  
“Thornstriker, please,” he said. “Let me in… Please, let me in. I-I’ll take you back home, okay? I’ll take you home… So you don’t have to be here anymore… Please, Thornstriker? Let me in…”   
  
She still continued to cry.  
  
Bloodshed felt his legs turn to jelly, only keeping up by putting his weight against the door. He should have just have accepted the ridicule of backing out of the dare. But no – he didn’t want to seem like a bitch. Instead, he chose to put Thornstriker threw hell and this was the end result. He should have slit his throat for this. If it would make her happy, he would do it without hesitation.  
  
He needed to get her home. He didn’t want her to be trapped in there all night long. She probably just wanted to go home and forget about all this. As did he.   
  
He unlocked the car door and before Thornstriker could react, he had already opened it. She shrieked and scrambled into the back of the car into the seats in the very back. She was shaking her head frantically, crying hard as she pressed into the seats.  
  
“Pl-Please!” she choked out. “D-Don’t hurt me! PLEASE!”  
  
He huffed, not turning back to look at her. He slowly started the car, causing Thornstriker to pale. She pressed back into the seat, shaking her head in fear. “N-No! Wh-Where are you taking me?!”  
  
“Put your seatbelt on,” he said softly as he drove out of the neighborhood.  
  
“NO! STOP! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! PLEASE!”  
  
“I’m only taking you back home,” he said, driving out onto the streets. He glanced over at the mirror, seeing that she still didn’t have her seat belt on. “Please, put your seatbelt on. I don’t want you getting hurt…" But he saw her continuing to simply shake in the back seat, he huffed. "I'm not going to do anything... I swear. Just please... Put your seatbelt on and let me take you home."   
  
She just sat there, trembling as his eyes focused on the road again. She swallowed, seeing that he was gripping the steering wheel tightly and was driving a bit over the speed limit. Though terrified of where he may have been taking her, she shakily clipped herself in and huddled into the seat, sobbing softly as she shook a bit. He said he was taking her home, but... they would be alone. No one else would be there but the two of them. Oh Primus... No... No...   
  
Her whimpering grew louder, each sob piercing Bloodshed's chest like a knife. He drove as fast as he legally could, his attention between her and the road. It was dangerous, but he just wanted to get her home. He wanted her to feel safe again and didn't want her to suffer anymore. What he put her through was torture enough. He just wanted to get her home...  
  
Though it had only been about fifteen minutes, it had felt like an eternity before Bloodshed had finally pulled up into the driveway. The moment he parked, Thornstriker unclipped her seatbelt and fought her way out of the car. Bloodshed gave a huff when she slammed the car door shut, putting his keys into his pocket as he got out of the car, locking it.   
  
Thornstriker ran to the door, yanking on it to open. But she panicked when she saw that it was locked, too panicked to remember that she had the key in her back pocket. So panicked that she began to recklessly pull at the door with all of her strength.  
  
Bloodshed had stayed back to not frighten her, but the sight of her pulling at the handle made his nerves go into overdrive again. He knew that if she slipped mid-pull, she would end up falling back and possibly striking her head on the concrete steps that led up to her house. Without thinking, he rushed forward to get between her and the steps should that happen.  
  
She had glanced back once unintentionally. But she froze when she saw Bloodshed coming toward her, arms out as if to grab her. Her mind suddenly flashed to that night that year and a half ago and she shrieked when he grew closer.  
  
"N-NO!" she cried. "N-No! St-Stay away! GET AWAY FROM ME!"   
  
"Thornstriker, please, you shouldn't-"  
  
"NO!" She moved over a bit as he came close to her, trying to avoid his arms. But she ended up slipping over the steps instead, falling on her ankle and slipping a bit. She cried out in pain and probably would have hit the floor, but Bloodshed had run toward her when she slipped. She ended up falling into his chest, his arms wrapped firmly around her so she wouldn't hurt herself anymore than she had.  
  
The pain and the shock of the fall numbed her for only a second, but once the woman realized she was back in Bloodshed's grip again, she freaked out.  
  
"NO! NO! Please! LET ME GO! Please let me go! Let me go!  _Let me go!_ "  
  
The poor man struggled to hold her up as she pounded and clawed at his shirt, desperate to get away from him. Even thought the screams twisted the knife in his chest further and further, he knew he couldn't let her go. He would never forgive himself if he allowed her to hurt herself more in this state.  
  
Grabbing the house key from his pocket, he quickly picked her up, causing her to scream even louder and lash at him harder. But it didn't affect him any different as he struggled to get the key in and unlock the door. He only hoped that none of their neighbors looked outside because of Thornstriker's screams.  
  
After a minute of juggling the frantic girl and trying to not break the key, Bloodshed was able to unlock and open the door, only having to open it again after a good kick from her caused him to let it go. He struggled to get them in without hitting her head on the entrance before he kicked the door shut behind him.  
  
When the front door closed, Thornstriker only screamed louder, eyes widening in terror. "PUT ME DOWN!" she screamed, clawing at him as he carried her through the hallway with difficulty. She was kicking and struggling violently against him, doing everything within her means of power to get out of his hold. But no matter how much she struggled, he still held onto her, not wanting her to hurt herself.  
  
Her eyes widened when she saw that he was carrying her down the hallway toward the bedrooms. And his bedroom was coming up first... and he seemed to be reaching for the handle...  
  
She paled with fright. No. No, NO NOT AGAIN!  
  
She screamed bloody murder, shaking her head frantically as she kicked and slammed her fists against him. "NO!" she screamed. "NOT THERE! NOT AGAIN! PLEASE NOT AGAIN! NOOO!!! NOOO!!!  _NOT THERE!_ "  
  
Not again. Not there. Despite the hard and heavy blows of her hits and kicks, he took a moment to process everything as he glanced at the door to his room. In there... That was right... He had... in there... He swallowed, growling to himself. How could he have tried to do something so stupid?! Quickly, but carefully, he took her away from the door and slowly started moving toward her room.  
  
By this point, Thornstriker had given up and was now sobbing hard and uncontrollably, still crying out in protest as he held her to him. She felt like she was going to vomit. Like she was going to die... Murder. It was like a form of murder...  
  
Biting down on his lip, he ignored the pain receivers going into his brain to stop, ignored the blood starting to trickle down his chin, as he opened the door to her room. Slowly, he made his way to her bed, carefully leaning over to put her down.  
  
The moment her body hit the mattress, she pushed out of his grip to slam against the wall where her bed stood next to, trying to make herself smaller as she backpedaled with futility. Her injured ankle stung and swelled further, only being further irritated as she kept trying to put more distance between her and the other occupant in her room.  
  
He almost reached out to stop her, but seeing the fear and desperation in her actions, Bloodshed started to feel numb at the sight of her trying to get away. Trying to curl up into a small ball like a child. Afraid that he might force himself on her again like that night in junior year.  
  
Feeling powerless and numb to the point where he couldn't feel his own body, he slowly got up and back away, his eyes still focused on the woman crying into the sheets of her bed. Once at the entrance, he stopped. He made a motion to try and go back inside, but a sob stopped him, leaving him holding out an arm. After a minute, he stepped back.  
  
"I... Just... call... if you need..."  
  
He couldn't finish the sentence, instead closing the door as he turned away from the entrance.  
  
Thornstriker just kept herself curled up into a ball, still sobbing hard as she trembled violently on her bed, her face buried into the sheets. Though he had left, she was still alone with him. She was still all alone in the house with him... Probably until Primus knew when... Alone with Bloodshed. Alone with her rapist.  
  
She could still feel his lips against hers, his body pressed up against her chest with his arms holding her to him. Then the chanting... the smell of alcohol... the unwanted warmth... She could smell, taste, hear, see, feel it all. She felt so dirty, so sick... She just wanted to vanish from the Earth, never wanting to be seen again.   
  
Why her? Why did this have to happen to her? She didn't understand it. She didn't think she ever would. But she did understand that she wasn't safe. There was nothing stopping Bloodshed from coming back in here and taking what he wanted. What could she do? Nothing... She could never do anything.  
  
Before Thornstriker realized it, exhaustion came over her and claimed her, drawing her into an unconscious state.

* * *

The young woman let out a soft gasp, eyes flashing open as she sat up. Her light had been turned off and she was no longer wearing her glasses or her shoes. But she didn't remember taking them off nor did she remember turning off her light. There was no way she could have - her ankle was completely swollen...  
  
She glanced over at the clock. It read 2:43 a.m. And she had gotten home she believed around ten... Or rather, Bloodshed had taken her home around ten.  
  
Her eyes widened. Bloodshed. Where was he?  
  
Sitting up to the best of her ability, she took a long look around the room.  
  
Nothing. He wasn't in here with her. Nor did it look like he was hiding either.  
  
Shaking her head at the idea he was waiting to pounce on her from the shadows, Thornstriker slowly pushed herself to the edge of her bed. She slowly got up onto one leg before putting some pressure on her swollen ankle.  
  
Not a good idea, she realized as she pulled it back up and nearly fell back on to the bed. She would have to avoid putting pressure on it. Reaching over, she grabbed her glasses and put them on.  
  
Once she was certain he was not in the room with her, Thornstriker limped over to the door. It was still closed. She had second thoughts on leaving the safety of her room, but her paranoia of wanting to know where he was made her open it up into the hallway.  
  
He wasn't outside her room either. A quick look in the bathroom showed him to not be in there either. Looking over to his door, she debated whether to risk looking inside.  
  
Swallowing, she slowly seized the door handle and turned it, peeking inside. Her eyes widened when she saw that he wasn't in there. She quickly turned on the light, in case he was hiding anywhere in the shadows. But the room remained completely empty, which disturbed her a bit as she shut off the light and closed the door.  
  
If he wasn't in there, then where was he?  
  
Limping down the hallway, she peered into the living room. There was still no sign of him anywhere. Looking out the window, she could see his car, meaning he had to be somewhere in the house. But as she limped around, looking everywhere and anywhere, there was no sign of him. None at all.  
  
Had he gone out? Crashed at a neighbor's house, maybe? It was possible...  
  
Then her attention turned out to the window again, looking at the car. Bloodshed had said once before that because the back was pretty roomy, it wasn't too hard to sleep in if necessary... Could he have been there?  
  
Biting her bottom lip, she slowly limped toward the front door. She opened it and peeked her head outside, the porch light still on. Carefully, she made her way over to the car, hugging herself tightly. Was he in there? Or was this all some sort of trick to grab her and... and...?   
  
"No..." she said to herself, shaking her head. "No... He wouldn't..."  
  
Finally reaching the car, she leaned up as best as she could, trying not to strain her ankle more than she already had. Her eyes widened when she saw him in the back seats, a blanket thrown over his body as he squirmed a bit in the car, obviously uncomfortable and restless, but nonetheless, asleep.   
  
Now she understood why he wasn’t inside. He… He had forced himself to sleep out here… so she would feel comfortable. She had been so hysterical from the kiss that her mind had flashed to that night in their junior year, thinking he wanted to rape her again. And he was very much aware that she was afraid to be alone with him.   
  
She bit her bottom lip, suddenly feeling awful for her behavior towards him. Yes, he had done that awful thing more than a year ago, but he never wanted to hurt her. He… He just wanted to protect her. He had brought her back home when things had gotten to be too much, he had carried her inside when she hurt her ankle, and he had brought her to her bed for rest.  
  
And how did she repay him? She treated him like he was some sort of monster.   
  
He didn’t deserve this. Not when he was only trying to make things better for her. And she had agreed to that kiss. He would have not have done it had she had told him no. He wouldn’t have if she hadn’t have given him the okay.   
  
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and knocked on the window a few times. It was loud enough for Bloodshed to wake up, who jolted up from his restless sleep and looked up out the window. Thornstriker flinched back a bit, but forced herself to look at him, biting her bottom lip when he just looked at her with wide eyes.   
  
Bloodshed could only stare at her. Thornstriker… was outside the car window. What was she doing here? How did she even get here? She had an injured foot. Oh shit, did she walk all the way out here with that?   
  
Carefully, he shuffled from the back seat and into the middle seats, Thornstriker backing up a bit as he got closer. He pushed the door open, Thornstriker stepping back a bit more as she saw that he was wearing just his pajama slacks. She didn’t want to look at his chest and be reminded of… that. She had to look away.   
  
“Thornstriker? What’re you doing out here?”  
  
She bit her bottom lip, peeking up at his shocked face. She swallowed, titling her head up to face him. “I… You weren’t in house.”   
  
“… No,” he said carefully, stepping out of the car, barefoot. “I… I figured you didn’t want me inside…” Hell, he was certain she didn’t want him inside the house. Not after the way she had been screaming and crying… Her eyes were so red and puffy… And it had been all his fault.   
  
She nodded, biting her bottom lip.   
  
He let out a small breath when she remained silent. He glanced back at the door before looking back at her, giving a huff. “Though it’s in the middle of the night… You should… take a shower and get to bed. Especially with your ankle and everything.”  
  
Thornstriker glanced down at her ankle, seeing how swelled it was. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “R-Right…” But she didn’t move.  
  
Bloodshed didn’t know what to do. Why wasn’t she going back into the house? He knew she didn’t want to be near him, especially after what just happened. But seeing she wasn’t completely hysterical now, he took it as an opportunity to voice out his own feelings to her. It wouldn’t make much of a difference, but he had to say something.   
  
“I… Thornstriker, I’m sorry about what I did.”  
  
She blinked, looking up, completely surprised by the apology.   
  
“I… I did that to you and made… made you remember…  _that_ ,” he murmured softly, looking down at his feet. “I… I’m sorry I did this… I… I never wanted… I never meant…”  
  
Oh… Oh, he was apologizing for the kiss. Now she felt even worse than she had before. Bloodshed hadn’t do anything wrong. She had agreed to the kiss to begin with. If she had said no, he wouldn’t have done it. She had agreed to it… And then acted as if he were some sort of monster afterwards. He didn’t do anything wrong… She just acted like he had.  
  
“N-No,” she stuttered, shaking her head. “N-No, please… Don’t apologize, please.”  
  
“But I–”  
  
“No, Bloodshed, no. Please… No.” She didn’t want him to take the blame. Not for this. This was her fault. She allowed it to happen. Had she not had agreed to it, things wouldn’t be like they were at the moment. “I… I should have just told you no. And you wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t agreed to it.”  
  
“Well, yeah, but I cornered you into making–”  
  
“I agreed on my own accord!” she cried out, her hands balling up into fists.   
  
Bloodshed’s eyes widened at the cry, causing him to look up as he saw her trembling with anger, frustration, and guilt.  
  
“If I hadn’t agreed to it, you wouldn’t have done it, and I wouldn’t have remembered anything!” Tears were starting to swell in the corners of her eyes, still trembling hard. “B-But you only did kiss me because I said yes! I shouldn’t have reacted that way – I gave you permission to do it! B-But I-I treated you like you a monster when you’re not!”  
  
“Thornstriker, please, this isn’t–”  
  
“I hurt you…!” she started to sob, burying her face into her hands. “I acted…! Like you were some sort of monster…! I made you bleed and feel horrible…! When you did nothing wrong…! I-I’m s-so sorry…! I’m so sorry!”   
  
Bloodshed just stared at her, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to hold her to him, hug her and calm her down like he used to do when she was upset like this. But he could not touch her. Not after all of this.   
  
“Thornstriker, don’t cry,” he said, almost helplessly. “Please… Don’t cry, please…”  
  
“B-But I’m a terrible person…!” she sobbed. “I-I made you feel like a monster…! When you only tried to help me…! I-I’m sorry!”   
  
“No, Thornstriker…” He felt helpless, worthless. He didn’t know how to get her to stop crying. He couldn’t do what he used to do and simply pull her into a hug. It would only cause her to panic, to scream at him to let her go… What could he do?  
  
“Thornstriker, Thornstriker, please…” He reached out to her, but stopped once his hands got too close to her. No, no he couldn’t touch her. “Please… don’t cry… Please.”  
  
She looked up at him, still sobbing as she saw his arms stretched out to her, wanting to touch her but unable to due to his fear of scaring or hurting her. She cried a bit harder, stepping forward a bit. She slipped due to the pain in her ankle, falling forward. Bloodshed’s eyes widened and he immediately caught her by the shoulders, keeping her up.   
  
Realizing he was touching her, he quickly balanced her before taking his hands away. But she grabbed them and held them to her, sobbing out, “I don’t want to be afraid of you,” she choked out. “I don’t… You’re my best friend, Bloodshed… I don’t want to be afraid… I don’t…”   
  
“Thornstriker,” he murmured softly, guilt stabbing at his chest. “It’s okay… It’s okay to be scared.”  
  
“N-No…! No it’s not…!”  
  
“Yes, it is,” he said. “I… I hurt you so badly… It’s okay to be scared of me. Does it hurt? Yes… But I brought it upon myself when I forced you like that.” Carefully, he moved his hands to her face, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “Don’t feel guilty or bad or anything, Thornstriker… I deserve it.”  
  
“B-But–”  
  
He shushed her. “It’s okay… Please, don’t cry… Don’t.”  
  
She bit her bottom lip, but nodded. Pulling away from the gentle hold, she sniffled and wiped away the remainder of her tears. Though she knew she should have kept apologizing to him, she didn’t want to upset him any more than she already had. Once she calmed down a bit, she took a deep breath and looked back up at him, seeing him looked relieved that she was okay.   
  
She gave a weak smile before biting her bottom lip. “Pl-Please… You don’t have to sleep in there.” She gestured to the car. “C-Come back into the house… Please.”  
  
His eyes widened. “A-Are you sure? I don’t have to if you don’t–”   
  
“I-It’s all right,” she said, glancing down at her ankle. “B-Besides… I-I don’t think I can walk back inside… W-Will you help me?”  
  
He swallowed, giving her a nod. He was shocked that she was asking for his help and allowing him inside, but he wasn’t about to refute her. “D-Do you want me to carry you?”  
  
“Al-All right. Wh-Whatever is the quickest way…”   
  
He nodded. Slowly, he stretched out his arms to her. She took in a shaky breath, letting him crouch down a bit as he wrapped an arm around the back of her knees. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as she was lifted up, his other arm holding up her back.  
  
“You okay?”  
  
“Ah… Y-Yes…” she stammered out, her cheeks turning red.   
  
Bloodshed couldn’t help but to find it cute, but he forced himself to look away as he walked toward the door, Thornstriker reaching over and opening it. Making sure she didn’t hit her head, he walked inside and headed toward the bathroom. Thornstriker opened the door, Bloodshed bringing her inside and setting her down on the counter.   
  
“I-I’ll be right back,” he said. “I-I’ll just get you a change of clothes and a towel.”  
  
“O-Okay…”   
  
Then he turned away, leaving Thornstriker to look over herself. She was still wearing all of her clothes from the party – the white skirt, the light green turtleneck, the nude tights… Bloodshed had only removed her shoes and glasses after she fell asleep. And to think that she thought he was trying to hurt her…  
  
Giving a soft sigh, she took off her tights and threw them in the laundry basket next to the sink. Slowly, she lowered herself onto the ground and limped her way over to the bath, sitting on the edge and turning on the water. As it turned on, she leaned over a bit too much and lost her grip. She let out a sharp cry as she fell into the tub, water splashing over her. Her bottom stung a little, but her ankle and head were fine.   
  
“Thornstriker?!”  
  
She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw Bloodshed rush inside the room, holding up her pajamas and a towel. He looked down, eyes widening when he saw her in the bathtub, getting drenched by the water.   
  
“Shit, Thornstriker, are you okay?”  
  
“Y-Yes, I’m fine…”  
  
He put down her clothes and towel and was about to rush toward her to help her up, only to freeze when he saw her legs spread out from the fall and her white skirt wet and see-through. He couldn’t contain his blush and was forced to look away, coughing out an apology.  
  
It took Thornstriker a minute, but when she realized what position she was in, she gasped and immediately closed her legs, bringing them to her chest.  
  
Still not looking at her, he motioned to the clothes and towel on the counter. “I-I put everything there… I-If you need anything… I-I’ll be right outside the door, okay?”  
  
She nodded as he turned away and practically rushed outside the bathroom, closing the door behind him. It vaguely reminded her of the time when he walked in on her changing into her pajamas when he spent the night at her house their high school senior year. He had been so red that when he turned away, he ran right into the wall.  
  
A giggle escaped her as she stripped out of her now wet clothes, turning off the water when the tub got full. When Bloodshed acted like that, it was hard for her to be afraid of him. Sometimes she would forget why she was.  
  
She gave a soft sigh, rubbing her ankle. Bloodshed… he was never going to hurt her again. He would never hurt her again. Because he would rather die that hurt her.   
  
Never again. Bloodshed would never hurt her again.


End file.
